Ten Athletes to Represent Team USA at 2013 JGP Latvia

(8/27/13) - The 2013 International Skating Union (ISU) Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (JGP) Series kicks off Aug. 27-Sept. 1, in Riga, Latvia. The event, being held at Volvo Ice Arena, begins Thursday with the ladies, pairs and men's short programs.

Ten athletes will represent the United States at the event in ladies, men's, pairs and ice dancing. Icenetwork will provide complete event coverage including recaps, photos and blogs.

LADIESYasmin Siraj qualified for the 2013 World Junior Championships after placing sixth as a senior at the U.S. Championships in January. Siraj owns a pair of JGP silver medals. Karen Chen will make her Junior Grand Prix debut in Riga. The 2013 U.S. junior pewter medalist, Chen most recently won novice gold at 2013 Gardena Spring Trophy.

MENJordan Moeller finished fifth at the junior level at the 2013 U.S. Championships before winning the junior title at 2013 Gardena Spring Trophy. Jimmy Ma is the 2013 U.S. junior pewter medalist and 2013 Gardena Spring Trophy junior bronze medalist. Both athletes will make their JGP debuts in Latvia.

PAIRSChristina Zaitsev and Ernie Utah Stevens embark on their second JGP season. The 2013 U.S. novice champions, Zaitsev and Stevens have competed together since 2010.

ICE DANCINGLorraine McNamara and Quinn Carpenter are two-time reigning U.S. junior bronze medalists. They most recently finished ninth at the 2013 World Junior Championships. Last fall, the duo finished fourth and sixth, respectively, at JGP events in Turkey and France. Elliana Pogrebinsky and Ross Gudis finished fifth at the most recent U.S. Championships. Both ice dance teams train together under Elena Novak, Dmitri Ilin and Alexei Kiliakov.

Now in its 17th season, the JGP Series consists of seven international events in a cumulative point-scoring format. Each athlete is eligible to score points in two of the seven scheduled events (pairs can compete in two of five designated events). The top six point-earners in each discipline qualify for the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Dec. 5-8, in Fukuoka, Japan.